Comedy of ‘Carnage’ rampages through Gainesville

Thursday

Sep 8, 2011 at 12:01 AM

Adults behaving badly set the stage for the comedy that kicks off the Hippodrome’s 39th anniversary season-opening play, 'God of Carnage.'

By Sara WatsonCorrespondent

In a parent’s world of Pampers and play dates, if anything can go wrong, it will. Even as kids get older, parenting doesn’t get easier, just different. Sometimes, it’s the parents who act like children. Adults behaving badly set the stage for the comedy that kicks off the Hippodrome’s 39th anniversary season-opening play, “God of Carnage.” The professional theater is in downtown Gainesville, and “Carnage” runs through Sept. 25.The play is set in an upscale apartment in New York City, where two sets of parents meet to discuss a mild altercation between their 11-year-old sons, Benjamin and Henry.Henry’s mother, Veronica, a writer interested in African politics, is the first to admit that parents shouldn’t get involved in children’s quarrels. When she and her husband go on to describe their son Henry, whom Benjamin hit with a bamboo stick, as “disfigured” with his “face bashed in,” all civility promptly is thrown out of the custom-draped window.For the four parents, it’s clear a “God of Carnage” indeed reigns supreme. “How many parents standing up for their children become infantile themselves?” Veronica asks at one point during the play.After the play’s 2009 opening on Broadway, it won three Tony awards including Best Play, and it is getting the film treatment in a forthcoming movie directed by Roman Polanski and starring Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christopher Waltz and John C. Reilly. “It’s harder to do a play and recreate a role that’s iconic in audience’s minds,” said actor Tim Altmeyer, who plays Benjamin’s father, Alan, a lawyer more attached to his cell phone than to his family. “But we get to beat them to the punch, at least here in Gainesville.”The Hippodrome production features a specially designed set, complete with yuppie-centric art, books and even pastries. The props become key as the parents’ meeting degenerates into pure mayhem — leaving no book un-thrown, no vase unturned. “It’s almost like choreography, in a way,” said director Mary Hausch, noting the flow of rage and hysteria. Although Hausch said the play has little stage direction, she spent time mapping out the placement of various items to ensure an effortless flow. Beyond the technical aspect, the play features immense changes in pace. One moment, someone is talking calmly, the next moment, screaming ensues. Tears may follow, or perhaps even laughter. “It’s challenging to manage the quieter moments and ramp it up into something bigger, but that’s the fun of it,” said cast member Benjamin Burdick, a professional from Los Angeles. “The writing guides it, and the writing is wonderful.”Hausch is a fan of playwright Yasmina Reza’s work and has directed two of her other plays, including “Life x 3” at the Hipp in 2004, she said. “God of Carnage” was written in French, Hausch said, but she believes something was gained in its translation. “It’s gone through a lot of processes, and it’s evolved,” Hausch said. “The translation has made it better-suited to American audiences and actually has made it even tighter in its humor, quiet moments and relationships.”New York-based actor and UF graduate Kim Mead, who plays Alan’s wife Annette, said the play also allows for constant exploration and fine-tuning of each character. This leads to a flexibility other plays may not possess, and the audience can look forward to a one-of-a-kind performance, Hausch said.“I think it will change somewhat every night,” she said. “A tiny change of rhythm can affect delivery, and that’s a good thing in this play because of the emotional diversity and physical elements.” Even if audience members don’t have children, they can still relate to the play, Mead said. The concepts of right and wrong, moral responsibility and plain, old manners resonate with everyone.“I think each of us has a little bit of these characters in us, maybe that passive aggressive nature and trying to stay civilized,” Hausch said. “The playwright gives us permission to step outside civility.”